Adventure On Demand - ShAFF 2017 Revisited

We're looking forward to rearranged screenings of our 2020 films (sign up to our newsletter for the latest updates), but until then there's no shortage of online adventure to keep you entertained.

Although we love to get something for nothing, paid-for content will really help support filmmakers at this time. Adventure films are usually made by small independent production companies who are currently unable to work, but the great news is that you can invite adventure into your own home for less than the cost of a coffee and cake, or a couple of pints.

So, alongside our Weekly Watchlists of free online content, the ShAFF team are revisiting the past few festivals and listing the best on-demand adventure films for your indoor inspiration and entertainment. These ones featured in ShAFF 2017:

"Backyards Project" is about the evolution of a man, Sam Favret.
Child of the mountain and more specifically of Chamonix Mont-Blanc, Sam is a rising star of international freeski.
Ten years of alpine skiing at the Chamonix sports club, seven years of Freestyle / Backcountry competitions and several years of shooting images all over the world.
He instinctively traverses the mountains, it is his playground, his adventure and he reveals the secrets to us.
Skiing a mountain never explored is like writing a new story.
The quest for new sensations and his desire to do better, to set goals but also to go beyond his limits pushes him to approach in a different way the universe of the mountain.
Surrounded by his friends and good people, Sam generously shares his evolution and his vision of skiing in recent years from freestyle, extreme slope to mountaineering.

Before it Falls is the first co-production between climbing film makers Simon Bischoff and Mathew Farrell. It was filmed on location on the the Tasman Peninsula, a wild and dramatic outcrop of swell-blasted dolorite columns and cliff tops on Tasmania’s east coast. The Tasman Peninsula is an international tourist attraction, with the precarious Totem Pole one of its crown features. Before it Falls is as much a tribute to the geography as it is a story of human endeavour.

Lee Cossey is a world class climber, but is such a calm and understated character that he is barely known outside his native Australia. Lee has had his eye on the infamous Ewbank route for may years, and is one of the very few people in the world willing to attempt an onsight of such a heinous route, which has only seen two successful free ascents, and to our knowledge, no other onsight attempts. Before it Falls documents Lee's efforts, and helps to share this world in a way that is accessible to climbers and non-climbers alike.

An all action cinematic spectacular, revelling in the UK’s golden age of bouldering.

Never before have there been so many indoor walls; so many climbers obsessed with training; so many beasts of superhuman strength. That talent is not going to waste. We follow the fearsomely strong Blocheads as they quest for new lines and push the limits of human ability. It’s a story of adventure, rocky passions and mutant fingers. It’s the story of a search for bouldering gold.

There’s history too – we delve into bouldering’s murky past. Once it was just a bit of fun outside the climbing hut. Now it’s ‘a thing’. From the first recorded bouldering in the 19th century, through to the rise of bouldering as a sport, something happened while the traditional climbers weren’t watching. There has been a movement in the force.

We tell the story of the UK’s first outdoor boulder comp, an up-yours to the establishment organised by 70’s developer Jerry Peel. We learn about the Godfather John Gill, and how he influenced a young Jerry Moffatt, the first of a new wave of rockstars who helped shape the modern world of bouldering.

Blocheads takes us on a tour around some of the UK's finest bouldering venues. There are classic locations in the South-West, the Lakes, North Wales, Scotland, The Peak District, Yorkshire and the North-East. And there’s a look at some of the country's newest areas with Murlough Bay at Fairhead in Northern Ireland.

British climber – now resident of Tasmania – Paul Pritchard, was one of the leading climbers and mountaineers of the 1980s and 1990s, renowned for his hard and extremely bold first ascents.
In 1998 Paul was abseiling in to climb the Totem Pole in Tasmania when he dislodged a rock with his rope that hit him on the head, leaving him with a severe head injury that he was lucky to survive: “All I wanted to do was go to sleep but I was certain that if I did so it would have been the last sleep I ever made.”
The aftermath of the accident left him with hemiplegia, which means he has little feeling or movement in the right side of this body. Despite this disability, Paul’s continued to live a life filled with adventure: "That accident on the Totem Pole was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Eighteen years later Paul returns to the Totem Pole to find out if he has recovered enough to finish the climb.
“There are a thousand reasons not to climb a mountain: rock-fall, hypothermia, falling off, avalanche, altitude sickness, severe weather or just the hard work of it. However, there is but one singular reason to climb when you look at it carefully.”
This is a film about an extraordinary man on an inspiring life journey, his continuing recovery from a crushing injury and the never waning desire for adventure. This is a film about determination and acceptance, patience and humility, grace, and ultimately, freedom.
“Its a very scenic place to have a head injury, that's for sure!” Paul Pritchard

This project became a labour of love the very moment a large group of Paul's friends came together to help out in planning the logistics of the climb. Rummin Productions in association with Ignite Digi filmed the climb as it unfolded from every angle including from the air through the use of drones. After the climb, the Australian National broadcaster picked up the story and filmed some more interviews, producing a half hour of television for an Australian Story program, which aired in July 2016. Thanks to some great artistic collaboration over many months, and a successful crowd funding campaign that helped make it a reality; Rummin Productions have now produced this short film that gives audiences the chance to see Paul go full circle and share in his personal triumph at long last.

As longtime professional climbers who eat, sleep and live the sport, Cedar Wright and Matt Segal are used to being competent, comfortable and at the top of their game.

Then they get into paragliding, and what starts as a toe dip turns quickly into a consuming addiction, as well as a lesson in what it’s like to be bumbling, naïve, gung-ho beginners. Tree landings, sketchy moments and junkshow launches become part of the new normal.

With only six months of flying under their belts, and professional flier Matt Henzi as a sensei, Wright and Segal embark on an audacious objective: to climb and fly off Orizaba, the third-highest peak in the America’s and the highest in Mexico.

What ensues is disaster-style climbing, iffy weather, broken gear and a lesson in jumping into the deep end and being forced to swim.

With hundred kilos on their backs they are facing storms, blizzards and deep snow. Their craft is not only a profession, but also their way to the calmness. In the documentary Freedom under Load we get to know the oldest generation of the porters in the High Tatras, who climb with supplies to the mountain huts every day. We discover why they have chosen this way of life and why they remain the last of the Mohicans on the European continent. And maybe we find out something about our own load that we carry.

The journey of a spirited Nepali village girl on her pursuit to being a world-recognised mountain runner.

A hugely insightful film with stunning landscape shots, drone flyovers and sunlit backdrops, about the young Nepalese runner Mira Rai, who escaped her tiny village by joining the Maoists as a soldier and found her hidden talent - trail running. Now sponsored by Salomon, we see her running and winning races all over the world....and her journey has only just started.

Claire Maxted Claire Maxted

A preview into what it takes to become an athlete from a developing country. What a story Aspire me to follow miars blossoming career as an ultra runner.

Ed Birch Director of Salt-Street productions

One of Nat Geo's adventures of the year, this is a beautifully told story of ultrarunning in Nepal.

'Mira' follows the journey of a spirited Nepali village girl on her pursuit to being a world-recognised mountain runner. Growing up in a remote mountain village in Nepal, Mira always dreamed of being successful in sport despite all the challenges that she & other Nepali girls face. After running away from home, Mira joined the Maoist army until as a young adult, she travelled the long distance to Kathmandu to try her luck. Out of money, she was about to return home to her village, when by chance on a morning run, she meets another runner who tells her about a long running race in the local hills. She wins it and soon begins to realise her tough mountain village upbringing has prepared her perfectly for this sport.

This inspirational story, filmed across Nepal, Hong Kong, Australia, Spain, Italy & France tells the story of Mira’s journey in the face of adversity to compete against the world's best mountain runners.

A hugely insightful film with stunning landscape shots, drone flyovers and sunlit backdrops, about the young Nepalese runner Mira Rai, who escaped her tiny village by joining the Maoists as a soldier and found her hidden talent - trail running. Now sponsored by Salomon, we see her running and winning races all over the world....and her journey has only just started.

Claire Maxted Claire Maxted

A preview into what it takes to become an athlete from a developing country. What a story Aspire me to follow miars blossoming career as an ultra runner.

Ed Birch Director of Salt-Street productions

One of Nat Geo's adventures of the year, this is a beautifully told story of ultrarunning in Nepal.

In the spring of 2016 19 year old Jimmy Hyland boarded a plane to Mongolia. Having spent his life reading books, watching films and hearing stories of adventure he decided it was time to find his own. Drastically unprepared and armed with little more than a bike he had bough the week before for £50 and a few basic tools Jimmy set off into the steppe, but all did not go to plan.

This is the story of Jimmy's first taste of travelling alone in a totally alien land. Continually battling wind, bitter cold temperatures, mechanical problems and solitude which pushed him to his limits, it wasn't until he discovered the incredible Mongolian hospitality that he got back on track.

An ion depth look at the development of the British Mountain Biking Scene. Fascinating.

Mountain biking is now in it's 4th decade and it's come a long way from it's beginnings in the hills of the West Coast USA. But that's only part of the story. The UK MTB scene grew in parallel to the well told US tale and this documentary, shot and co-produced between Blue Hippo Media , Singletrack and BAFTA award winning film-maker Michael Clifford, aims to layout the complete and unique history of how the MTB developed in British mud.

Through archive footage of early XC racing through to the modern, adrenaline filled disciplines of Enduro and downhill, this film will layout the British claim to the origins of the modern mountain bike scene. Featuring interviews with legendary names such as Tracy Moseley, Steve Peat, Dan Gee and Rachel Atherton, Martyn Ashton, Rob Warner, Gary Fisher, Jason Miles, Geoff Apps, Carlton Reid and many more, this will be the story of how the Brits have carved their names into history and helped shape the global phenomenon that is mountain biking.

It's time to get to know Jenn Shelton, one of the most outspoken voices in running.

Read up about who the amazing Jen Shelton is before watching this arty black and white film as it doesn't shed any light on her history (read Chris McDougall's Born to Run). It's basically like hanging out with this awesome, fun, crazy ultra runner for a while as she races, trains, drinks, runs, marshals, drinks, pukes, has accupuncture and laughs a lot. Pretty much all the time. We'd like to hang out with Jen Shelton too. We missed the colour as she ran through some truly fantastic landscapes, and there wasn't really a storyline...or much insight into her history. But her quirky, loveable character definitely shone through and the sound track suited her perfectly.

It's time to get to know Jenn Shelton, one of the most outspoken voices in running. Known for her shenanigans featured in the bestselling book Born to Run, Shelton is both a runner and an author in her own right; far more complicated than appears at a casual glance.
She makes her home in a small van, known originally as Hi-C (for its initial inclination to high center), owning only what it can carry. She travels around the Mountain West spreading her unique approach to the wilderness. This is an insider's view in black & white.
Filmed towards the end of summer in the great American West. Featuring Jenn Shelton with a cameo by Anton Krupicka.
This is the second production from The Wolpertinger which, in 2013, produced In the High Country, vimeo.com/ondemand/inthehighcountry

Read up about who the amazing Jen Shelton is before watching this arty black and white film as it doesn't shed any light on her history (read Chris McDougall's Born to Run). It's basically like hanging out with this awesome, fun, crazy ultra runner for a while as she races, trains, drinks, runs, marshals, drinks, pukes, has accupuncture and laughs a lot. Pretty much all the time. We'd like to hang out with Jen Shelton too. We missed the colour as she ran through some truly fantastic landscapes, and there wasn't really a storyline...or much insight into her history. But her quirky, loveable character definitely shone through and the sound track suited her perfectly.

Acclaimed writer/director Ben Sturgulewski joins the award-winning team at Matchstick Productions and their two decades of filmmaking expertise to deliver “RUIN AND ROSE,” an epic creative vision brought to life by the talents of the world’s top skiers. Winter landscapes across the planet contrast seamlessly with a thoroughly-crafted story of environmental apocalypse, shot entirely within the otherworldly expanses of Africa’s Skeleton Coast. Unlike anything seen before, the dreamlike setting of this film sparks the imagination of not only action sports enthusiasts, but anyone with a beating heart.

The reality of growing up a surfer in Iceland is different from anywhere else in the world. It’s a harsh place. There are no surf shops, guidebooks or webcams. Icelandic surfers are seriously on their own both in and out of the water. But being so far removed from the hustle and bustle of the known surf world hardens Iceland’s surfers to confront the issue they all must face: the North Atlantic wind.

This wind is like a drunkard 10 minutes before closing time; you never know what the bastard’s up to. He can be in the throes of a calm alcohol stupor one minute, fly into a fit of rage the next, and then, in a moment of pure brilliance and drunken unpredictability, the North Atlantic wind can be the most magnificent man in the room.
Heiðar Logi Elíasson has dealt with the North Atlantic wind his entire life and although Iceland isn’t a “surfer’s paradise,” growing up on a tiny Island in the middle of the North Atlantic has taught Heidar a few tricks in dealing with adverse conditions. First amongst them, that dangerous dance with the North Atlantic wind.

Follow Heiðar Logi on his journey through Iceland searching for that rare, yet significant, compromise that brings both Icelandic surfers and that bastard wind to the table. Starring Gudmundur Thorain as the North Atlantic wind, The Accord’s world premiere will be at the Telluride Mountainfilm Festival May 28. Go to theaccordfilm.com for more information.

A film that shows the grit and determination required to complete a long-distance endurance bike riding challenge across America.

Ed Birch Director of Salt-Street productions

The Hammer follows adventure racer and rookie cyclist, Jason ‘The Hammer’ Lane, as he attempts to win the hardest endurance race in the world - The Race Across America (RAAM).

On day three of the 3,000-mile, cross-country, nonstop cycling race, a fit and confident Hammer was dominating the field. Three hours later, he was hit, run over and dragged by a car. Supported by a rookie crew, in over their heads, and under the pressure cooker of a documentary film, The Hammer must battle against all odds to win The Race Across America.

The inspirational story of Bob Hayes, an 89-year-old trail runner who does things the hard way to maintain purpose, momentum and vitality.

If you don't like being shown up by an 85 year old this film is not for you.

Ed Birch Director of Salt-Street productions

An incredibly inspirational story – with time comes experience.

Zena Toscani

Wow. I nearly am lost for words about this film. The story is just so amazing! Bob is (now) 90 and running trails faster than the average person! His moving story is beautifully told with a mixture of interview and and voice over, with insights from other racers, marshals and athletes who know him. There are wonderful shots of him running in many races in Montana, and chopping wood in his hut. You'll finish watching this inspirational film thinking you want to be Bob. I want to be Bob. So bad. He is truly incredible!

Claire Maxted Claire Maxted

Watch this film and you will feel happier about your life. Absolutely beautiful. Some fabulous dogs in it too.

The Hard Way is an uplifting story about the human drive to continue doing what we love late into life. Bob Hayes, 89, still runs nearly every day.
“I don’t need to do things the easy way, I need to do things the hard way because I have the time and it keeps me in shape,” Hayes says.
When he’s not running, he’s cutting his own firewood by hand, hauling hay to his cattle or tapping his maple tree for syrup.
The Hard Way follows Bob as he trains for the Bighorn 50k ultramarathon. As Bob pushes 90, longer races take a larger toll. How will Bob’s cadence of hard work and intention help him navigate the challenges of aging? This documentary takes us on a journey that’s about more than running. Bob teaches us about living a life with purpose and momentum.
Filmmakers Jeremy Lurgio and Erik Petersen spent more than a year following Hayes through the trials and triumphs of his life. They filmed his daily routines. They trailed him as he drove hours to various Montana running races. He is a complex and wonderful character whose approach to running and life is an inspiration to everyone he meets.

If you don't like being shown up by an 85 year old this film is not for you.

Ed Birch Director of Salt-Street productions

An incredibly inspirational story – with time comes experience.

Zena Toscani

Wow. I nearly am lost for words about this film. The story is just so amazing! Bob is (now) 90 and running trails faster than the average person! His moving story is beautifully told with a mixture of interview and and voice over, with insights from other racers, marshals and athletes who know him. There are wonderful shots of him running in many races in Montana, and chopping wood in his hut. You'll finish watching this inspirational film thinking you want to be Bob. I want to be Bob. So bad. He is truly incredible!

Claire Maxted Claire Maxted

Watch this film and you will feel happier about your life. Absolutely beautiful. Some fabulous dogs in it too.

Untethered takes an immensely personal look straight into the heart of the slacklining and highlining community in Vancouver BC. This film is an epic ride from beginning to the end. Offering an inspiring look into a group that pursues the unthinkable.
“Your palms will sweat and your heart will race, but you can’t help but be ridiculously inspired. The cinematography, story, and pure slacklife style is beautiful.” - Andy Lewis

Dervla Murphy is Ireland’s most prolific travel writer who for five decades has travelled the world mostly alone, and mostly by bicycle. A fiercely independent woman who turned her back on societal conventions at a time when few were as brave, she observed and recorded the world with wonder and curiosity, and an astute political sensibility. But who is Dervla Murphy? This special edition documentary explores the woman behind the words in an interview which shows her personal life to be as fascinating as her extensive journeys. The minutiae of life at home in Lismore and journeys abroad with her grandchildren provide an intimate backdrop to interviews with Dervla, her daughter Rachel, her publisher John Murray and fellow travel writers Michael Palin and Manchán Magan.